After successfully keeping earning his PGA Tour playing privileges for 2018, Brandon Hagy has seen his sophomore season get put on hold by a painful wrist injury that will sideline him until late April.(Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Brandon Hagy finished his rookie season on the PGA Tour by playing eight straight weeks in his own mini-marathon.

The end-of-the-season push produced the results the former Westlake High standout was hoping to attain.

Highlighted by a fifth-place finish at the RBC Canadian Open, Hagy worked his way into the top 125 on the PGA Tour money list to earn playing privileges for the 2018 season and also a spot in the first tournament of the 2017 FedEx Cup Playoffs.

At the FedEx Cup event Hagy felt something he had never experienced before in golf — pain in his left wrist.

Hagy tried to play through the pain and missed the cut by finishing 7 over par. He immediately went to a doctor .

There was no structural damage in the wrist with the diagnosis being tendinitis as a result of overuse. The treatment was rest.

After taking three weeks off, Hagy tried to play at the Safeway Open, the first event of the 2017-18 Fall Series. But when he felt pain, he withdrew and took another three weeks off.

He was able to play in the final three events of the Fall Series, making two cuts, but the pain returned.

“I put my clubs away for six weeks off over the holidays and then started to practice for CareerBuilder (formerly the Bob Hope Classic),” Hagy said via telephone from his new home in Arizona. “But when I was there, the pain came back so I got a CT scan and basically was told if I kept going, I could make it worse. So I decided to shut it down for two to three months and try and let it completely heal.”

Hagy’s sophomore season on the PGA Tour is now on hold. The former UC Berkeley standout is hoping to return at the end of April or early May.

“It’s difficult sitting out and not being able to practice or play,” Hagy said. “Some of my best results have come on the West Coast, so not being able to play on the West Coast swing has been frustrating at times.

“But as hard as it is, I need to take time and be healthy. I need to be patient and let my wrist heal so when I do come back, I can practice and play as much as I want.”

Hagy is spending a lot of time in the gym, working to improve his overall fitness level. He is also working on the mental side of his game. During his rookie year, he started meditating daily to help his focus and to deal with stress.

He is one of the growing numbers of golfers who uses the Focusband, a device that sits inside a golfer’s hat and measures the amount of brain activity used during competition. It can tell if the player is anxious, is having too much conscious thought or any other thought processes that can mess up a player’s swing.

Three sensors measure the brain waves. It then gives audio feedback on brain activity levels, playing various tones and music to let the wearer know when he or she has reached the correct level of consciousness.

Hagy has been working with Jason Goldsmith, one of the developers of FocusBand who also works with players like Jason Day and Justin Rose.

“I think it (the mental side) is the next leap in sports performance,” Hagy said. “We know so much about physical side, improving the golf swing, getting proper nutrition, working out, but the brain in still a mystery element. It’s the next frontier of performance.”

Hagy said the increased mental focus and ability to stay calm under pressure were two reasons he had a strong finish to his rookie season.

Having missed so much time this season, Hagy will likely use a medical extension to start next season with the hope of earning enough money to keep his card again.

While other young players like Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele have shown it’s possible to win at an early age on the PGA Tour, Hagy refuses to get caught up in the comparison game.

“I have been a late bloomer my whole career,” Hagy said. “Each stage it’s taken me a few years to get everything pulled together. I improve my skills and then suddenly I win.

“So all I can do is work on my skills I need at this level. Everyone has their own timeline and career. I can’t worry about others.”